Posted on May 8, 2014

Brunei’s sultan, who’s responsible for implementing the inhumane Shariah law, will benefit in a number of ways from the Trans-Pacific Partnership; NASA plans to put a greenhouse on Mars in just a few years; meanwhile, Peruvians have created billboards that clean the air and produce potable water. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

Brunei’s Sharia Law Will Be Rewarded by Obama’s Fast-Track Trade Deal
Boycotts and protests of the famed Beverly Hills Hotel have shined a bright light on the oil-rich nation of Brunei’s recent imposition of Sharia law, a brutal criminal code that now includes amputations and floggings for some offenses and the stoning to death of known gays, lesbians, transgender people and others, as homosexuality and adultery are now considered crimes that should be punished by a torturous execution.

Students Call For Economics To Break From Free Market Theory
Economics students from 19 countries have joined forces to call for an overhaul of the way their subject is taught, saying the dominance of narrow free-market theories at top universities harms the world’s ability to confront challenges such as financial stability and climate change.